Entertainment venue coming to Cape Region

Frustrated by a lack of local entertainment options for their kids, Cape Region businessmen DJ Hill and Chad Moore are opening a 35,000-square-foot entertainment venue called Lefty’s Alley and Eats in Lewes.

The inside entertainment options for local families is limited, said Hill, a father of three. A need has been identified and this is trying to fill that need, he said.

The venue, under construction on an undeveloped parcel adjacent to Dartmouth Plaza on Route 1 in Lewes, is slated for an October 2016 opening, said Hill, during an interview Nov. 20.

The two men, who have nearly 40 years of hospitality experience between them, said the facility will feature 16 lanes of bowling; a state-of-the art arcade capable of holding 50 to 70 games; a 4,000-square-foot, two-story laser tag arena; four 20-foot-by-12-foot big screen televisions; a 110-person restaurant and bar, and banquet options for customized birthdays, corporate and group events.

According to Bette Gallo, the Berkshire Hathaway real estate agent who sold the property, when completed Lefty’s will be about the size of the nearby Henlopen Plaza, which is home to Home Goods, Kitchen and Company and Cape Wine and Spirits.

A father of four, Moore said this is going to be a safe, friendly, clean and well-lit environment. It’s a place where parents will be able to get a bite to eat and be comfortable knowing the kids are OK, he said.

Moore said he expects to have 25 to 30 full-time employees and 20 part-time employees.

“It’ll be a nice addition to the job market,” he said.

Hill said a major component of the business will be the food it offers. Priced between $8 and $20, there will be a large assortment of appetizers, gourmet brick-oven pizzas, burgers and sandwiches, he said.

The two men have been working on this project for over three years, traveling to similar venues in Florida, Virginia, Ohio and one on the West Coast to see what works and what doesn’t.

Everything has been thought about, said Moore.

Hill said the new venue is bringing the best parts of what other venues had to offer. “We’re not only setting the standard for the Delmarva Peninsula, but nationwide,” he said.

The two men have been busy getting to the dirt-moving stage, but, said Moore, the next year will be the busiest year of all. Construction is an exciting stage, but it’ll be work, work, work, he said.

Hill said Dynamic Designs, an Orlando-based the architectural firm, has helped with the project. The company specializes in family entertainment centers and is lead by Doug Wilkerson, a former Disney Imagineer.